So, I am sick… Again! This year has been terrible for me health wise for some reason. I am sorry for not posting sooner. I haven’t finished anything I thought I would by now and I did not want to just put a status update as a post. I have done it before but I really dislike it.

So onto the movie I saw! The Family is about a mob snitch who is under protection and has to blend in within a town in France. I went to see this because I try to give and take with movies in regards to my girlfriend. She wanted to see this, so next time I can see something she might not want to. Works well for us because there are not many movies that we disagree on. Usually when we do it is about some specific genre that one of us personally likes.

I want to start off by saying this movie is far from bad. On the contrary it actually surprised me a bit. We all know De Niro and Pfeiffer are great at what they do. So there is no need to talk about them. Instead, I really want to focus on how good their co-stars were! Agron was really good in this. She showed a really great range and you felt quite deeply for her character. At this point we have seen here in more than just Glee, but I think she really got to shine in this the way everyone knew she could. However, the real shocker was D’Leo. I did not even know who he was before The Family. He was absolutely fantastic and I wish I could think of an even better word for how good he was in this movie but I cannot. Such an impressive guy. He was actually in my favorite scene, when all of the wise guys come off the train and he is sitting, watching in pure shock and horror. He slowly turns his face and as he is shaking tears roll down his cheeks. Wow, what a powerful scene. Mark my words he is going to be a big deal as long as he pursues acting.

So, with all the great acting why is this movie catching so much hate? That is a really good question. I have not read anyone else’s review, but after thinking about it I might have an idea for people’s motivation on disliking The Family. The direction. More specifically, the type of movie this tries to be. The Family is rated R. Which means no one who is younger will or should be seeing this; seriously there is a ton of violence and a simulated sex scene. The problem is that even though there is sex and violence, there is a really strong scent of a family movie wrapped within it. I was quite confused even after the movie was over. I did not understand why some people even died. I understand surprise deaths. I love Game of Thrones so I am used to being tortured as a reader and audience member. But, death is supposed to have serious weight or levity. One or the other. Two of the deaths, I won’t say which, had neither. So was this supposed to be an adult movie, or a really messed up family movie? I have no idea and I don’t think the director did either. What really bothers me is he wrote Wasabi, one of my favorite movies of all time. Which makes this movie all the more disappointing.

Before I give this my rating I want to give mention to the music. There were some really good choices, but remember that scene I mentioned earlier with D’Leo? That was without question the best. I have not heard Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz in a very long time, but that scene was made for it. It was perfect. I am actually listening to it right now as I type this entry. Sadly, even great music or even wonderful acting cannot save a movie when the movie itself is holding everything back. The Family regretfully gets a C.

Next week I hope to have either the book or television show I previously mentioned in another entry done for a review. Have a great weekend guys and girls.